Four Seasons of Love
by hyperin
Summary: Jou loves Yuugi no matter the season. Wishshipping! Yaoi! Don't like...please don't read.
1. Summer

So this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh! story. It's, obviously, Wishshipping, but I think Jou and Yuugi are _really_ a cute couple and there aren't enough stories dedicated to them. I'm giving it a cautious T rating for Jou's impure thoughts, but it might reach an M if I can bring myself to write a lemon without burning up with blush.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. If I did, there would be some major differences and the show probably wouldn't be shown on children's networks.

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Jou loved Yuugi in the summer when they only saw each other on the weekend because they both worked during the week. Those were the times Jou basked in the presence of his friend and crush. Sometimes they would go to Honda's and swim in his pool, and Jou would try so hard not to ogle Yuugi in his swim trunks.

"Let's play Chicken!" Anzu suggested one Saturday afternoon as the four of them jumped into the pool. "Yuugi and I will ride on Jou and Honda's shoulders."

"Sounds good," Honda nodded. "Come on, Anzu, let's show them what we can do."

"Uh," was the only thing Jou could come up with in rebuttal.

"Scared?" Honda cocked an eyebrow and that was all Jou needed to hear to get his blood boiling.

"In your dreams," Jou rolled his eyes.

Yuugi and Anzu climbed out of the pool and sat on the edge waiting for the other boys to come over so they could get on their shoulders. Jou swallowed as he allowed Yuugi to settle his knees on the sides of Jou's neck, and Jou made sure to hold tightly to Yuugi's calves. Anzu took a little more time obtaining balance on Honda's shoulder's because there was more of her upwards than there was of Yuugi. Eventually, though, she stopped swaying and Honda and Jou made their way to the deepest part of the pool where they could still stand.

Anzu grabbed Yuugi's arms and they began to wrestle. Jou kept his arms tightly wrapped around Yuugi's legs, knowing that there was no way Yuugi was going to tumble from Jou's shoulders if he had any say in the matter. He had never thought of being between Yuugi's legs in this fashion and he promptly pushed _that_ thought out of his head along with the one that remarked at how soft Yuugi's legs were. Above his internal war, a battle was being waged, and Anzu was putting up a fair fight, but Yuugi (who had probably gained some upper body strength from lifting boxes every day for half the summer) had the upper hand. Yuugi gave a final push and the girl tumbled from Honda's shoulders into the water.

"What's wrong with you?" Honda demanded of Anzu when she had resurfaced. "We should've kicked their butts."

"He's getting strong!" Anzu defended, looking up at Yuugi.

Jou wondered why she was looking up at his short friend when he realized Yuugi was still sitting atop his shoulders.

Yuugi lightly tapped Jou on the head. "I think I'm ready to come down now."

"You do?" Jou figured it was best to laugh off this awkward situation. "I'm really not sure you are."

"Jou," Yuugi said warningly.

"Yuug'," Jou mimicked Yuugi's tone and abruptly let go of him, sending his friend toppling, with a shout, from his shoulders into the water.

Yuugi emerged, spluttering with his arms crossed over his chest. He glared at his friends who were laughing at him, but finally had to join in the laughter because he knew just how he looked when drenched. Jou had memorized every second of Yuugi's actions—from his rising out of the water, hair cascading down his shoulders, to the pout that graced his features for a mere moment before glaring at his three companions, to way he finally threw his head back and had a good laugh with them. It was official: Jou was hooked.

The four teens swam in Honda's pool for a couple of hours until his parents came home and said it was time for dinner. Anzu said she had to go anyway for a dance class and said goodbye to each of the boys after getting dressed. Jou and Yuugi stayed just long enough to dry off and change before heading off to Yuugi's place, rushing to catch their bus. They disembarked and meandered down the street to the Kame Game Shop.

"You're going to come for dinner, right?" Yuugi looked up at Jou.

"Well," Jou began with the full intention of declining the offer.

"You could even stay the night. It's Sunday tomorrow so you don't have to worry about getting to work," Yuugi persisted.

"Great idea," Jou's resolve crumbled under Yuugi's amethyst orbs. "Is it okay with your grandpa? I wouldn't want to impose."

"It's not an imposition, you know Grandpa likes having you around," Yuugi waved his hand.

"If you say so," Jou rolled his eyes.

"Katsuya, so nice to see you," Sugoroku greeted the blonde when he and his grandson entered the living quarters by the game store.

"Hey, Gramps," Jou grinned at the older man.

"Grandpa, is it okay if Jou stays for dinner?" Yuugi requested.

"Of course," Sugoroku beamed at his grandson.

The three males ate dinner and Jou kept them entertained with stories about his job working as a busboy at one of the most expensive restaurants in Domino. After dinner, Yuugi and Jou raced to the sitting room to play board games. Yuugi had just bought the new version of the Game of Life and Jou could not have cared less what they played as long as Yuugi was happy. Jou lost spectacularly, as usual, but Yuugi tried to make him feel better by not revealing his final score.

"You know, Katsuya," Sugoroku mused, "if you were a young lady spending this much time with my grandson, I'd have to wonder about your intentions for him."

Jou had no verbal response for this remark and hoped his blush was not too visible in the dimly lit room. Yuugi came to Jou's rescue and shouted at his grandfather. "Grandpa! You can't just say something like that!"

"I was just kidding," Sugoroku chortled.

"Well, it's weird to joke about that," Yuugi shook his head. "We're going to set up the sleeping bag in my room now. Come on, Jou."

"Night, Gramps," Jou mumbled, unable to look him in the eye.

"Good night, boys," Sugoroku watched the two march upstairs.

"Sorry about Grandpa," Yuugi shook his head and unrolled the sleeping bag on the floor. "He can be so strange sometimes."

"It's no big deal, Yuug'," Jou shrugged. "Maybe he has a point."

"Like what? Like I need to get a girlfriend?" Yuugi wondered, flopping back on his bed.

"More like I need to get a girlfriend and stop hanging around you so much," Jou teased, but he waited, holding his breath, to see how Yuugi would react.

"It's bound to happen one of these days," Yuugi sighed. "You're going to get a girlfriend and you'll be too busy to spend any time with me."

"Ah, come on, Yuug', you know that'll never happen," Jou was not sure how to interpret Yuugi's response, but at least he had not gone on and on about girls he liked. "I'll always have time for you."

"You'll _never_ let a girl come between us?" Yuugi looked sceptical.

"A girl come between us? I'd like to see her try. Maybe in a skimpy bikini…" Jou trailed off and waggled his eyebrows.

"You're hopeless," Yuugi hit him in the head with a pillow.

"I'm serious, Yuug', no girl could get my attention away from you," Jou paled at the words as they came out of his mouth.

"Okay," Yuugi gave him another disbelieving look and Jou just hoped Yuugi had not picked up on the strange wording of Jou's last comment.

Jou wanted to insist, to convince Yuugi of the truth of his statement, but that would have been weird and possibly jeopardized Jou's deeply hidden secret. Yuugi was getting together his pyjamas and Jou realized he had none of his possessions there and would have to sleep fully dressed or in his boxers. At home, Jou slept in just pyjama pants, and, really, how different were boxers from those? Only, at home, he was not sleeping near the person he desired to know on a much more carnal level. The only thing for it was to sleep in the clothes he had been wearing all day.

When Yuugi returned from the bathroom wearing his pyjamas, he gave Jou an odd look. "You're going to sleep in your jeans?"

"Yeah, well," Jou fumbled around in his mind for an explanation. "I don't have anything else to wear."

"You're going to be warm," Yuugi predicted. "That sleeping bad is a portable sauna."

"I'm fine," Jou waved off his friend's concern.

"If you say so," Yuugi gave another look of consternation and climbed into his bed. "So, what's the best part of your job?"

"The food. Not that I eat it much, but with a fifty percent discount, I get myself a nice meal on payday," Jou thought it might be nice to take Yuugi to the restaurant one night.

"And you're happy working there?" Yuugi looked interested.

"I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to not have to work so hard, but it's not a bad job," Jou shrugged. "The staff is pretty nice. Except for the manager—he's snooty."

"Hmm," Yuugi frowned.

"Hey, it's not so bad. Everyone else is great. No one treats me like a punk kid," Jou said, looking on the bright side.

"That's good," Yuugi nodded.

"How 'bout you? You still like working for Gramps? I'm sure I could get you a job at the restaurant if you needed a change of pace," Jou offered, joking.

"The game shop is a great place to work. It's not like I have a choice, but Grandpa does give me breaks when I need them. We tag team throughout the day," Yuugi explained.

"Bet it helps the shop's reputation that the King of Games works there," Jou observed.

"Oh probably," Yuugi agreed. "But I'm sure that thought only briefly crossed Grandpa's mind when I turned sixteen and was old enough to be put to work."

"Wish I had some title to draw people to the restaurant. Maybe they'd give me a raise," Jou chuckled.

"Do you need some extra hours, Jou? I'm sure Grandpa wouldn't mind having you come over and do inventory or something," Yuugi looked concerned.

"Nah, Yuug', I was just joking. I'm doing fine," Joe hurried to reassure his friend.

"If you're sure," Yuugi continued to appear worried.

"Relax, I get by," Jou grinned at Yuugi who smiled in return. "Now, I'm going to turn off the lights. If I die trying to get back to my sleeping bag in the pitch dark, know that…I'll haunt Honda and Ryuji from the grave if they try anything with Shizuka."

"Got it," Yuugi laughed.

Jou turned off the light as he promised and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, it was helped by the moonlight that trickled through the slats in the blinds. It made the room dappled and Jou looked around at the strange sight, eyes landing on Yuugi whose cream-coloured skin fairly glowed in the light. The breath caught in Jou's throat as he looked at Yuugi who tilted his head in an adorable fashion and asked a question Jou did not catch.

"Jonouchi?" Yuugi said his friend's name.

"Sorry. The room just looked weird and I was taking in all of it," Jou explained hastily.

"Oh," dark brows came together and then moved apart. "I guess it does give an eerie quality to everything."

"Yeah," Jou, glad Yuugi had fallen for his excuse, hurried to get into his sleeping bag. "Have a good sleep, Yuug'."

"You, too, Jou," Yuugi nodded and nestled into his pillow.

Jonouchi laid awake for thirty minutes becoming warmer by the second. Yuugi had been right—the sleeping bad was a little hot box. Wriggling out of the sleeping bag, Jou removed his socks, jeans, and even his t-shirt before wriggling back into it. He made himself comfortable and fell asleep at a very nice temperature. In the morning, Jou awoke, stood, stretching his arms wide, and turned to face Yuugi's bed where the other still slept.

"He looks so peaceful," Jou thought to himself and sat on the edge of the bed, gently moving a stray chunk of blonde hair out of his friend's face.

"What's going on?" Yuugi mumbled and Jou nearly fell off the bed. "Jou? Why are you on my bed?"

"Looking for my socks," Jou came up with that one quickly enough. "Better view-point from up here."

"Oh," Yuugi's sleepy brain did not hesitate to accept the reason and Jou grabbed one of his socks. "Glad you found them."

"Yeah," Jou nodded and proceeded to dress. "So, Yuug', what's on the agenda for today?"

"No idea," Yuugi yawned and pulled clothes out of his dresser. "Get breakfast into me and maybe you'll get a coherent thought out of me."

"You get dressed, I'll go down and forage," Jou decided after Yuugi had removed his pyjama top, flashing Jou a perfect view of his chest.

"Sounds good. Are you okay?" Yuugi looked at Jou as he ran into the side of the bedroom door. Yuugi hastened over to see if Jou needed medical attention.

"I'm fine. Had something in my eye," Jou muttered, feeling Yuugi's body pressing against his shoulder while Yuugi ran his hands gently over Jou's face.

"I don't think anything's broken, but what do I know? As long as you're not bleeding, I guess there's nothing we can do," Yuugi shrugged.

"Great, yeah, I'm going to go down and get something started for breakfast," Jou bolted from the room.

Jou reached the bottom of the stairs and mentally beat himself up over how he was behaving—like a little girl around her idol. He needed to collect himself and keep calm, but it was so hard when Yuugi was running around without a shirt on and touching him. Heading to the kitchen, Jou was surprised to not see Sugoroku there, but he set to work whipping up some eggs and bacon he found in the fridge; Jou may not have been a brain surgeon, however he _could_ make a mean Sunday morning breakfast.

"Wow, Jou, you're really good at this," Yuugi remarked when they were both seated at the table. "You should sleep over more often."

"Like I could handle it," Jou said to himself. To Yuugi he just said, "I think my old man might have some problems with that."

"Right," Yuugi looked pensive.

"Smells great in here. Yuugi, you all of a sudden learn to cook?" Sugoroku laughed to himself as he entered the kitchen.

"No, Grandpa, it was Jou," Yuugi pouted at his grandfather's teasing. It was another image Jou saved in his memory bank.

"Well, well, Katsuya, they do say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. You may yet win Yuugi's affections," Sugoroku's latest comment had Jou choking on his bacon.

"Grandpa! I thought I told you last night that those jokes aren't funny!" Yuugi thumped Jou on the back. "You've upset Jou."

"I'm fine," Jou said for the second time that morning.

"Have some of my orange juice, it'll help wash down the bacon," Yuugi offered up his own glass, noting Jou's was empty.

"Thanks," Jou's voice was hoarse and he gratefully sipped at the juice.

"It's going to be another hot day, boys," Sugoroku seemed oblivious to the commotion he had caused. "Hot and sunny. You two should spend it outside."

"Sure, Grandpa," Yuugi agreed, still looking upset over what his grandfather had said.

The teenagers finished their breakfasts before the older man and headed outside into the sunshine and hot weather. Jou felt kind of grubby in his clothes from the day before and wondered if it was worth risking meeting his father at their home to change. Yuugi, however, seemed fine in his customary leather ensemble and was chatting about some additions he had made to his Duel Monsters deck.

"You know, Yuug', you should let me take you to dinner at the restaurant tonight. They paid me Friday and I do get that discount," Jou reminded.

"Sure. We'll tell Anzu and Honda about it and make it a group outing," Yuugi suggested.

"Actually, I can only afford to take one of you guys," Jou knew it was sort of a lie, but at least, this way, he could delude himself into thinking they were on a date.

"And you want to take me?" Yuugi gave Jou a look the blonde could not interpret. Jou nodded and Yuugi's face broke into a smile. "Cool!"

"Why don't we call it a day for now (I'm going to go home and change) and meet up at the restaurant at seven?" Jou proposed.

"Yeah," Yuugi consented. "I'll see you later."

"Seven sharp. I'll make reservations," Jou called as Yuugi walked back toward the Kame Game Shop, Yuugi just waved his agreement.

* * *

It was six fifty seven that night and Jou was waiting outside his place of employment for Yuugi to join him so they could walk in together. Jou was nervous. He kept glancing at his watch and jiggling his leg, wishing Yuugi would hurry up and get there. This was, potentially, the stupidest thing Jou had ever done in his life and it felt like the second hand on his watch was ticking down his impending doom.

Finally, Yuugi came walking up and Jou had to pretend to crack his jaw to keep it from hanging down to his chest. Yuugi looked different from how Jou had ever seen him. Gone was the leather—he was dressed in a black suit with a striped tie and his trademark hairstyle was nowhere to be seen as he had tied his flamboyant locks down in low ponytail. It was not that Jou disliked the leather…he probably liked it too much…he just was surprised at how soft Yuugi looked in the suit.

"Don't stare," Yuugi whined. "When I told Grandpa where I was going, he told me I had to dress up to eat here."

"Gramps is out to get me," Jou groaned inwardly. Outwardly, he grinned. "Hey, I'm practically dressed for shift. If we go in there and they try to put me to work, save me. Okay?"

"Okay," Yuugi nodded.

"Good. Now, let's go stuff ourselves," Jou opened the door for Yuugi and they approached the maître d', Jou smiling broadly at the man. "Hello, Stefan."

"Katsuya, I didn't think you worked on the weekends," Stefan looked at him quizzically.

"I have reservations for me and a friend," Jou indicated Yuugi.

"How nice," Stefan led them to a table. "Enjoy your meals."

"Okay, Yuug', order whatever you want. Remember, it's only half what it says on the menu and it's my treat," Jou instructed.

"Right," Yuugi pursed his lips as he perused the menu and Jou had to wrench his gaze away to look at his own menu.

"Good evening, gentlemen," a young woman, Chika, came over to place water in front of them and take their orders. "Katsuya, you don't often eat here. Special occasion?"

"Just out for dinner with a friend," Jou shrugged and silently begged her not to probe any further. "Are you going to stand there or take our orders?" He teased.

"Geez, I was just trying to take an interest in your life," she smiled and put her hands up in surrender. "What can I get you and your friend, Katsuya?"

"Yuug'?" Jou looked at him.

"Well, I was thinking I'd have the salmon," Yuugi began.

"No appetizer?" Jou frowned at him.

"I'd, um, rather have dessert?" Yuugi seemed to ask instead of say the last part.

"You can have all three," Jou rolled his eyes. "I told you, have whatever you want."

"All right," Yuugi looked a little nervous. "Then I'll have the spinach and artichoke dip and the grilled salmon."

"That's better," Jou said, satisfied. "I'll have the chicken spring rolls and the sirloin steak."

"I'll be back," Chika took their menus and hurried off to the kitchen.

"So, what do you think of the place?" Jou asked Yuugi.

"It's really fancy," Yuugi tugged awkwardly at a button on his jacket. "And everyone calls you Katsuya. What's that about?"

"That's what you do at a fancy place. Can't have them calling me Jou, too informal," Jou explained. "It's kind of weird, at first I barely realized they were talking to me, but I'm used to it."

"Shall I start calling you Katsuya now as well?" Yuugi put on a snooty-sounding voice.

"You can call me whatever you like as long as you're moaning it," Jou flushed at that thought and shook his head. "Nah, Jou'll do."

"All right," Yuugi laughed.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Yuugi sipped on his water and Jou tried not to watch Yuugi sipping on his water. Chika arrived a few minutes later with their appetizers and told them to enjoy their meals. Yuugi picked up the pita that came with his spinach and artichoke dip, carefully scooped up some, and nibbled at it.

"So, how is it?" Jou wondered. "I've never had it before."

"It's really good," Yuugi passed the plate and bowl over to Jou. "Try it."

"Okay," Jou could not have said no if he had tried. "That is good. Thanks."

"No problem," Yuugi beamed. "How are your spring rolls?"

"Uh uh," Jou joked, "you're not getting your hands on my food."

"That's not what I meant," Yuugi blushed. "I was just wondering if they were good."

"I know," Jou chuckled. "You can have some if you want."

"No, thanks. If I'm having a three-course meal, I need to pace myself," Yuugi shook his head.

"Like one bite of a spring roll is going to hurt you," Jou cut off a piece of a spring roll and speared it on his fork. "Come on."

"Okay," Yuugi leaned over the table and ate the bite of spring roll off the fork. "It's good."

"Glad you like it. I always get these when I eat here," Jou wiped his fork with a napkin.

"Scared I have cooties?" Yuugi raised an eyebrow.

"Frankly, yes," Jou teased. "Never know what kind of antics you get up to when I'm not around. Whose saliva you've sampled."

"That's gross," Yuugi wrinkled his nose. "Don't put it like that."

"Well, who have you locked lips with?" Jou was unsure why he was putting himself through this torture, but the question slipped out of his mouth and could not be retracted.

"You know well enough I haven't kissed anyone," Yuugi grumbled. "And now you're going to go on and on about how far you got with Mai or any girl from our grade."

"Nah, Yuug', I won't do that," Jou told him honestly.

The fact was, Jou and Mai had shared some kisses and he had fooled around with some of the girls in their grade, but none of that mattered. Those feelings he had had for Mai or the attractions he had had for girls in various classes were drops in the bucket compared to what he felt for Yuugi. Yuugi could melt Jou's heart with a smile and reduce Jou to nothing with an unhappy expression, so Jou would not rub his friend's face in his experience.

"Thanks, Jou," Yuugi gave him a small unhappy smile that managed to melt Jou's heart and reduce him to nothing at the same time.

"Hey, man, it's no big deal. Kisses and junk don't mean anything unless they have some feeling behind them. You don't want to go kissing everyone around and muddy the waters," Jou advised.

"Yeah," Yuugi did not seem convinced, but Jou felt the topic had run its course.

Luckily, Chika came along to save the moment and gave them their entrées. "Here you go, boys."

"Thank you," Yuugi smiled at her.

"I'm going to go wash my hands," Jou declared and headed for the washroom.

"Katsuya," Chika pulled him aside when he left the men's room.

"What's up, Chika?" Jou wondered, not wanting to leave Yuugi alone for too long.

"Is he your _boyfriend_?" Chika asked, obviously trying not to giggle.

"Boyfriend? What? Why?" Jou could not even come up with a snappy retort.

"You two are _so_ cute together. You were feeding him!" She squealed.

"No, Yuugi is my best friend," Jou tried to keep the bitterness in his voice to a bare minimum.

"Shame," she shook her head.

"Anyway, I'm going to go back to my _friend_. See you later, Chika," Jou went back to his table and sat down across from Yuugi who had obviously waited for him before starting to eat.

"Took you long enough. I was about to send out a search party," Yuugi laughed.

"Sorry, the manager wanted to talk to me about my shift tomorrow. It doesn't matter. You should start eating," Jou urged.

"I wanted to wait for you. I thought it was polite," Yuugi began cutting into his salmon.

"Thanks, Yuug'," Jou smiled and attacked his steak with his fork and knife.

After that night at the restaurant there were more sleepovers and more days in Honda's pool, but no more sneaky dates. Yes, Jou loved Yuugi in the summer even though they did not see each other as much as they would have liked. Jou loved Yuugi all year long.

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Okay, this has been checked and double-checked for spelling and grammar errors, but if you see any, please let me know. This is my first time using their Japanese names so please forgive me if I've accidentally used their dub names. I hope you liked it. I would appreciate constructive criticism as flames will just be used for roasting marshmallows for my sister. Please, R&R!


	2. Fall

Another chapter! This one's a little shorter, but I think it's still good. Or at least not bad.

**Disclaimer:** Are you crazy? I don't own these characters. I don't think it's even a particularly novel idea, but I'm writing it and not making any money from it.

~:+:~

Jou loved Yuugi in the fall when they returned to school and could see each other almost every day; Jou had quite his job at the fancy restaurant to focus on his studies, but Yuugi still had to help his grandfather with the game store. Yuugi, Jou, Anzu, and Honda were all in the same classes that year so homework would be a breeze (Yuugi and Anzu helped out Jou and Honda as much as possible) and fun. Sure, there were no more chances to see a half-naked and dripping wet Yuugi as the weather turned cold, but there were one-on-one study sessions where Jou could watch the smaller boy make the cutest faces while studying and sitting not too far away from each other in class.

"Hey, Jou," a familiar voice greeted Jou when he walked into school one Friday and opened his locker.

"Hey, Yuug'." Jou greeted his friend with a ruffle of his hair. "Long time, no see. What's it been, fifteen hours?"

"About that," Yuugi grinned up at his friend.

"How's Gramps today?" Jou asked after he had collected all his books for the next couple of periods.

"Fine. As usual. Why do you always ask after Grandpa? Have a thing for older men?" Yuugi joked and then blushed at how crass he had sounded.

That blush, it could be Jou's undoing. It was endearing and, of course, sexy to no end, but it was the fact it gave Jou an unadulterated view into exactly how Yuugi was feeling at a particular moment that made it so disarming. Jou felt like a piece of Yuugi's soul was being revealed to him when the other boy blushed and it was enchanting.

"Ah, watch it, Yuug'," Joy regained enough brain function to threaten his friend harmlessly. "You know he's my second favourite Moto."

"Your first being?" Yuugi raised an eyebrow.

"I have heard you have some pretty cute cousins," Jou teased, easing away from the topic into which he had stupidly stepped.

"You are a laugh riot," Yuugi rolled his eyes. "Do you want to go to the arcade after school?"

"Hmm," Jou pretended to think. "I could spend the afternoon at home doing homework and waiting for my dad to stumble in drunk at an ungodly hour or I could spend it with my best friends at the arcade. Tough one."

"Friend," Yuugi corrected, entering the classroom for first period.

"Huh?" Jou wondered.

"Well, Anzu has a dance competition next month and is spending all are spare time practicing and Honda was grounded after he failed that Biology test. It's going to have to be just the two of us. Unless that's not okay," Yuugi looked worried.

"Not okay?" Jou thought, trying to slow his racing heart. Aloud he said, "no, that's fine."

"Great!" Yuugi beamed at Jou.

"Hey, Jou, Yuugi," Anzu joined their little cluster around Jou's desk.

"Hi, Anzu," Yuugi turned red, and half of Jou's confused heart did not enjoy the blush because it was for someone else, but the other half still thought it was adorable.

"I'm so happy for the weekend," Anzu exclaimed. "Although, I have so much to do, it'll hardly feel like a break."

"Speak for yourself," Honda arrived and crossed his arms over his chest. "At least you're not taking an enforced break from _everything you like_."

"Maybe you should have studied more for your test," Anzu looked far from sympathetic.

"I'm going to go sit now," Yuugi walked away from the tense atmosphere and Jou wished he could have followed him for more reasons than just disliking the vibes around his desk.

The morning passed slowly because school was not exactly something that struck Jou's fancy, but he was kept busy enough studying for the Math test he had coming up on Monday. By the time lunch rolled around, Jou had to drag himself down to the cafeteria he was so tired and his eyes were going blurry from so much reading. Jou was partway through his lunch when he noticed Yuugi peering at him curiously.

"Do I have something on my face?" Jou rubbed at his cheek.

"I've just never seen you look so…" Yuugi looked like he was searching for what to say.

"Unenthused about lunch?" Anzu supplied.

"Yes," Honda nodded.

"I'm just tired of Math," Jou sighed. "I don't even understand sine, and cosine, and tangent. I'm looking forward to going to the arcade this afternoon."

"Oh, me, too," Yuugi's face lit up with a smile.

"Wish I were going," Honda grumbled.

"Wish you were, too," Jou half-lied. "How 'bout you, Anzu? Jealous?"

"I'm not sure. I do like the arcade, but this is a very competition and I need to practice," she shrugged. "You two have enough fun for all of us."

"We will," Yuugi promised.

The rest of the day went about as quickly as cold molasses in Jou's opinion. He was told off for doodling in his notebook in History class; he did manage to get a Hall Pass and spend ten minutes in the bathroom during Chemistry, but that resulted in his missing the basics for the assignment that was due in a week. All in all, he was glad it was Friday, and when the dismissal bell rang, he was one of the first students out of the classroom and to the lockers. Jou collected all the things he would need for a long weekend of studying, stuffed them into his backpack, and raced to Yuugi's locker where his friend was debating which books he would need versus those he could comfortably carry.

"Come on, Yuug'," Jou whined.

"Give me two more minutes," Yuugi requested. "I have this library book about what we're studying in Chemistry, do you think I'll need it for the assignment?"

"The assignment isn't due until Thursday, you can get the book on Monday," Jou recommended. "Let's go."

"Okay, okay,' Yuugi laughed. "I'm ready to go."

"Finally," Jou tried to sound as exasperated as possible.

"Get over it, Jou. It's not like we won't have plenty of time at the arcade. Grandpa wants me home by seven for dinner, so we should have a good couple of hours. Plenty of time for me to dominate you," Yuugi grinned wickedly.

"In games maybe," at this thought, Jou's mind ran wild with visions of himself dominating Yuugi in the bedroom, but Jou shook his head. "I don't know why I agree to go to the arcade with you. You _do_ always win."

"It's simple, Jou, you…" Yuugi trailed off, looking above his head.

"I what? Wait, what are you looking at?" Jou wondered aloud and followed his friend's gaze upward.

"The leaves are changing," Yuugi murmured. "When did that happen?"

"Sometime between our wasted childhoods and the expanse of adulthood that lies before us?" Jou had read that somewhere and had been saving it to sound impressive.

"Wow, Jou, that's profound," Yuugi looked a little shocked.

"Don't sound so surprised," Jou poked his friend in the side.

"Sorry," Yuugi squeaked, but continued staring at the tree above them.

"Here," Jou reached up, grabbed a red leaf, a yellow leaf, and one that was still green, and handed them all to Yuugi.

"What are these for?" Yuugi wondered.

"Well, this way you can have one of each (until they crumble) and keep them for when there are no leaves left on the trees," Jou shrugged.

"Thanks, Jou," Yuugi took out one of his textbooks and slid the leaves between pages.

"Can we go to the arcade _now_?" Jou was becoming uncomfortable with the situation—he had not meant to be so mushy and Yuugi was now standing there with a small thoughtful smile on his face.

"Sure," Yuugi continued walking.

"So, why do I agree to go to the arcade with you when I know you always win?" Jou went back to the question they had stopped at when Yuugi's attention had been taken by the leaves. "You never gave me an answer and I need to know why I put myself in this situation."

"Because I'm your friend," Yuugi responded simply. "For some strange reason, you like me and spending time with me. Even though I mop the floor with you."

"Mop the floor with me?" Jou made an indignant face.

"Every time," Yuugi nodded, trying to keep a straight face.

"You are so dead," Jou began to chase Yuugi who had a small head start. Once Jou had caught up to Yuugi, he slowed his pace to match his friend's.

They made it to the arcade before too many people arrived and exchanged their money for as many tokens as they could carry. Yuugi let Jou pick the first game they would play and Jou went for the game at which he was the best: a karate game. Just because it was Jou's best game did not guarantee him a win and Yuugi snatched a victory from him at the last moment. The two boys had played almost every game in the arcade by the time Yuugi had to leave to go home.

"Are you going to come by the store this weekend?" Yuugi inquired as they rode the bus.

"I don't know. That math test is going to murder me," Jou began.

"Oh. I just thought maybe you could come by for dinner. Grandpa's leaving town for the weekend after dinner tonight so I'm going to be by myself," Yuugi informed. "You could come over tomorrow and we could do some studying together."

"Working on Math is not sexy. Working with Yuugi is sexy. Is working on Math with Yuugi sexy?" Jou tried to work it out in his head before giving Yuugi an answer.

"Or not," Yuugi gave him a hurt look.

"No, I was just thinking about something stupid," Jou explained. "I'm happy to go to your place. Think you can help me with my problems?"

"What're your problems?" Yuugi looked concerned. "Where did the teacher lose you?"

"What are those two lines on top of each other before the last number in a Math problem?" Jou joked and Yuugi gave him a grin. "Nah, I have the basics down, but these waves are too much for me. And one of them isn't even a wave."

"Okay, well, I'll give it a go, but I'm not making any promises that I'll be any help," Yuugi bit his lip.

"Anything you can give me is more help than the teacher ever gave me," Jou hated the bastard who taught them Math.

"Yeah, but he's a genius, he can't help getting frustrated when we're slow," Yuugi did not like it when Jou disrespected teachers. Even if Jou thought they deserved it.

"Yeah, a genius," Jou rolled his eyes.

"He just has a social problem," Yuugi continued. "You know, I heard he washes his hands after marking every single test. That's why the papers come back to us wrinkled."

"Where'd you hear that?" Jou was interested now.

"Some girl who had him last year. Said she walked in on him in the staff room washing his hands with a pile of tests on the table," Yuugi always pretended not to listen to gossip, but Jou knew he heard things and had the goods on all sorts of people in Domino.

"Probably just finished jerking himself off to Miho's writing," Jou laughed derisively and Yuugi giggled, but flushed. "Aw, come on, Yuug', it's a perfectly normal act. Haven't you ever paid attention in Health?"

"Teachers don't do that," Yuugi looked around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. "Besides, he's married."

"Have you never seen those shows about predators?" Jou asked. "They're, like, always married. Or loners. Okay, so maybe I lost my point a little, but it still stands."

"How does a point you yourself invalidated still stand?" Yuugi giggled again. "This is my stop. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Plan on it. I'll be over at the crack of noon," Jou rolled his eyes at the old joke.

"See you," Yuugi stood in front of the bus doors and Jou watched him get off the bus and walk into his home.

* * *

Jou was up at nine the next morning to get ready for his "study-date" with Yuugi. He made sure his father was still passed out in his bedroom before leaving; Jou had some spare cash on him so he picked up breakfast at a fast food joint on his way to Yuugi's. It was eleven thirty when Jou arrived at Yuugi's home and he wondered if he was not a little too early, he had said he would be there at noon, but he rang the doorbell and waited to see if Yuugi would answer.

"Hi, Jou," Yuugi came to the door a minute or so after the doorbell had sounded.

"Hey, Yuug'. I brought my books and whatever's left of my brain. Let's get to work," Jou entered the house.

"I thought we'd study in the kitchen because my bedroom holds too many temptations," Yuugi said innocently, but Jou's mind immediately went to thoughts of the temptations Yuugi's room held. "You know, video games, and board games, and such."

"Right," Jou nodded and tried to keep himself from going too red at his visions. "So, where should we start?"

"Well, I was thinking we could go over triangles," Yuugi began, pulling his binder toward himself. "And then circles?"

"I miss the days when teacher just wanted area," Jou ran his fingers through his hair. "Even though it was hard then, it seems so simple now."

"Yeah," Yuugi obviously was only half listening as he arranged his notes.

"And sometimes I wonder if I jumped off a building, would I sprout little wings all over my body and fly out of there," Jou tested his theory.

"That's a good question," Yuugi murmured and then looked up at his friend. "Wait, what did you say?"

"Caught on that I was talking nonsense?" Jou grinned wryly. "I was just trying to see if you were paying attention to me."

"I'm trying to get myself ready to teach you an entire unit of Math before Monday and you're trying to see if I'm paying attention to you," Yuugi shook his head.

"All right, all right, I'm a terrible study buddy," Jou confessed.

They spent six hours going over every note Yuugi had taken in class and Jou had written down the key points and formulae he would need to review the next day. Yuugi was a patient tutor and he spent as much time as Jou needed going over whatever he did not understand, but it was eventually time for them to eat something. Jou began frying up chicken while Yuugi put rice in a pot.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, Yuug'," Jou said while he made sure the chicken did not burn.

"For what? For studying with you when I need to review, too?" Yuugi waved off Jou's thanks.

"I'm serious," Jou looked into Yuugi's eyes and held his gaze. "I feel like I'm going to do okay on this test because of you."

"Well, you're welcome, I guess," Yuugi smiled, but Jou could tell Yuugi did not think there was any reason for Jou to be grateful.

"You know, we make a great team, we should open a restaurant," Jou declared when they were seated and eating. "I have my restaurant experience and you have business experience. What do you say?"

"I say you're crazy. Your restaurant experience amounts to one summer as a busboy who occasionally watched the cooks and my business experience is running the counter at a game store," Yuugi laughed.

"You need to dream big to do big, Yuug'," Jou said sagely. "Not that you haven't done some big stuff already. But you can't peak in high school."

"What kind of big stuff should I dream?" Yuugi inquired. "Maybe I've had enough publicity and attention for the rest of my life. Maybe I don't want anything more than to find that special person, settle down, and raise some kids."

"Special person? Not special woman?" Jou's heart picked up speed at that thought. "Hey, if that's what you want, then that's big."

"I don't know what I want after high school," Yuugi confessed. "I have enough prize money from tournaments and savings to be able to afford university, but I don't want to spend the money if I'm not sure I'm going to be doing what I want."

"You could take a couple of courses and go from there," Jou suggested. "But you don't need to listen to me. I'll be happy if I just graduate."

"You're going to graduate, Jou," Yuugi said as though it were a foregone conclusion.

"Have you thought of traveling? You could do international tournaments and really wow the world," Jou had thought about doing it himself. Not wowing the world, but making a name for himself in the Duel Monsters world.

"I don't know if I could do tournaments far from home anymore. It wouldn't be the same without all my friends there like before," Yuugi looked sad.

"Come on, Yuug', don't look so down, please," Jou implored. "You and I could do it, though. We could do doubles tournaments. Travel the world, just the two of us."

"That sounds like fun," a reluctant smile crept over Yuugi's face.

"There we go," Jou was glad to see Yuugi looking brighter. "God, he's gorgeous when he smiles."

"Jou, you're looking a little odd," Yuugi exclaimed.

"Hmm? Sorry," Jou flushed.

"Are you sick? You better be well enough to take the test on Monday—I'm not helping you study again," Yuugi promised.

"No, I'm fine," Jou assured his friend. "You know, I should probably be getting home."

"Okay," Yuugi had that sad look on his face again.

"I thought we agreed you weren't going to look sad anymore," Jou frowned.

"I'm fine," it was Yuugi's turn to say the phrase Jou had been using a lot recently.

"You better be. I really have to go, though," Jou looked at his watch. "I'll see you Monday."

"Bye, Jou," Yuugi said and walked him to the door.

Jou spent Sunday studying the notes he had taken from Yuugi's notes and it actually, strangely enough, made sense. Walking into school on Monday Jou felt completely confident in his ability to at least scrape a passing grade on his impending test. He met Yuugi at the latter's locker and they walked into their Math class talking about what they had done on Sunday. It was a short conversation and they sat at Yuugi's desk in a not uncomfortable silence waiting for Anzu and Honda to arrive.

"So, did you two have fun over the weekend?" Honda asked grudgingly.

"Well, first Yuugi and I went to the arcade, and then we went parasailing, and then we went waterskiing," Jou lied. "We had such a fun time, we're going to do that every time you're grounded."

"Very nice, Jou, just rub it in," Honda gave him a tight smile.

"Nah, all we did was go to the arcade Friday afternoon and study for _hours_ on Saturday," Jou informed. "You didn't miss much."

"Then I guess I don't feel so bad," Honda shrugged. "Where's Anzu?"

"No idea," Yuugi shook his head. "It's not like her to cut it so close to class starting."

"I'm here!" Anzu rushed into the classroom at that moment. "Were you three missing me?"

"No," Jou deadpanned.

"You're just a great guy today, Jou," Honda observed. "Making me and Anzu feel bad. Who's next? Yuugi?"

"I don't know, but everybody better watch out because I'm on fire today," Jou warned.

"You're going to be if you cross the wrong person," Anzu advised. "Ooh, the teacher's here. Good luck on your tests, guys."

"You'll do great, Jou. I've taught you well," Yuugi whispered to him and took his own seat.

Running off the high of Yuugi's confidence in him, Jou answered the first few questions with no problems and moved on to harder equations. He worked on the test for the majority of the period and was hopeful when he turned in the paper; the teacher barely glanced at Jou as he approached the desk. English passed in a bit of a blur for Jou as they were reading a book Jou had, surprisingly and at Yuugi's insistence, already read, and he was bored. Lunch could not arrive quickly enough and Jou wondered how he had sat through over a decade of school without having died of boredom yet.

"Jou?" Yuugi was standing in front of Jou's desk with his head tilted to one side. "Jou, are you in there? It's time for lunch."

"Praise the lord," Jou jumped from his desk and, grabbing Yuugi by the wrist, ran out of the classroom. "I don't think I'm ever going on to higher learning. It's one thing to be _forced_ to go to school, but to make the decision to do four more years of it is looking pretty crazy to me right now."

"You're just saying that," Anzu rolled her eyes. "Besides, you'll make more money with a university degree."

"Shit, Anzu, can't you at least let me have my fun dreaming about never going back to school?" Jou demanded. "You going to go to university?"

"I don't know. I'd love to continue dancing," she mused. "Well, whatever I choose to do, it's going to make me happy. I don't want any regrets."

"No regrets, eh? I'm sure you've got a bucket list and you're checking things off one by one," Honda laughed.

"Well, I have a mental list of things I want to do. Just because you two," she glared at Jou and Honda, "don't know what you want to do with your lives, doesn't mean others don't. Right, Yuugi?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure, Anzu," Yuugi looked like he had been brought out of deep thought.

"Were you even listening to the conversation?" Anzu wondered.

Jou immediately remembered how upset Yuugi had become over their similar conversation over the weekend and knew Yuugi was drowning in this one. "You know, whatever, school's going to last forever anyway. Who cares if we don't know what we're going to do then or now?"

"Carpe diem, huh?" Honda raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" Jou just looked at his friend incredulously.

"I was watching this movie and they kept saying "carpe diem". It means seize the day," Honda explained.

"Oh. I think you've watched too many movies," Jou told him seriously. "Although, "seize the day" could be a pretty good motto."

"Jou, your motto should be "seize the bagel" rather than "seize the day"," Anzu shot.

"How witty you are," Jou pretended to laugh.

"Stop bickering, will you? You're doing my head in," Honda rubbed his temples.

"Hey, Yuug', is everything all right? You haven't said ten words since we sat down," Jou observed.

"Me? Yeah, everything's fine," Yuugi grinned at his friends.

"You know, you were very anti-social at lunch today," Jou told Yuugi as they walked home that afternoon. "Had me a little worried."

"Really, Jou, everything's fine."

"You're a crappy liar, Yuug'."

"I'm just… What's with everyone's sudden fascination with the future?" Yuugi queried.

"You're still hung up on what you're going to do after graduation?" Jou knew he had hit the nail on the head when Yuugi grimaced. "Hey, I told you, we're going to rule the doubles tournaments and make a butt-load of money. Then we'll show Anzu you don't need a degree to become filthy rich."

"Thanks, Jou. You always know how to make me feel better," Yuugi wrapped his arms around Jou's waist.

"No problem," Jou tried _really hard_ not to think about how warm Yuugi's body felt against his, or how slender Yuugi felt in Jou's arms, or how much he would have loved to pick Yuugi up and place a kiss on his now upturned lips.

They walked the rest of the way to Yuugi's place in silence, Jou wanting to lace his fingers with the other's, but knowing it would be inappropriate. It was true, Jou loved Yuugi in the fall even when school got in the way of spending free time together and Yuugi had to spend Saturdays helping his grandfather at the shop. Jou loved Yuugi all year long.

~:+:~

Second chapter in a couple of days. This is what happens when my fiancé goes out of town for weeks at a time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this because I'm enjoying writing it. Again, please let me know if you see any problems, but I would appreciate niceness as I'm quite a sensitive person.


	3. Winter

Chapter three done. I hope people have liked it so far. It's no epic Wishshipping fic, but I don't think every story I write needs to be 25 chapters long. I know there's not a whole lot of conflict that marks a great story, however, I think that some sweetness comes with this couple.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own it. Never will. Even if, one day, I had enough money to buy the entire franchise, I probably wouldn't—I'd have probably bought a bunch of cars I wouldn't drive.

~:+:~

Jou loved Yuugi in the winter when there were times all he could see of Yuugi were two beautiful violet eyes and a little red nose peeking out over a thick scarf. It was good for Jou that he and his friends were out of school for the holidays because Jou was given permission by his father to spend the Christmas holidays at Yuugi's. Both boys were thrilled at that news and were planning to have a small party on December twenty third with Anzu, Honda, Otogi, and Shizuka. They had politely extended invitations to Ryo (who had moved back to England), Mai (whom Jou did not really want to see, but who could not make it anyway), and Marik (who, with his sister, had returned to Egypt), but Yuugi and Jou agreed an intimate affair would be easier to sell to Yuugi's grandfather than a rowdy one.

A couple of days before the twenty third Jou, Yuugi, Honda, and Anzu were at the mall shopping for gifts for the party. Yuugi and Jou had agreed to go in together on a present for Otogi, but no one had any idea what to buy for the black-haired boy. Honda and Anzu were examining a sterling silver picture frame, Jou and Yuugi were contemplating a blown glass candy dish, when Anzu squinted up at the lights and started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Honda wondered and followed Anzu's outstretched finger, letting out a loud snort of laughter.

"It's official, Yuug', they've both lost it," Jou did not even bother looking up while passing this judgement.

"I don't know what's funny, but they can't be sharing an hallucination, can they?" Yuugi replied, shaking his head.

"Look up," Anzu instructed.

Jou and Yuugi did as they were told and looked up at the ceiling. Immediately Jou looked at Yuugi and paled, barely noticing the blush that had spread over his friend's cheeks. There was mistletoe above them.

"Yes, it's just _hilarious_ that Yuugi and I are under the mistletoe," Jou snapped.

"Well, give him a kiss," Honda urged. "It's tradition."

"I don't think so," Jou searched his brain rapidly for any excuse not to do that.

"Scared? Not secure enough in your masculinity, Jonouchi?" Anzu teased.

"Hey, no one is more secure in his masculinity than I am, but what about Yuug'? I'm not going to just force myself on him," Jou retorted.

"Yuugi knows it's tradition. Go on," Honda ordered.

"Sorry, Yuug', but I don't think they're going to stop until I kiss you," Jou whispered.

Yuugi stood there, eyes wide, as Jou cupped his face and placed a chaste kiss on his forehead. They separated, Jou stuffed his hands in his pockets so no one would notice they were shaking, and he glared at Honda and Anzu who were both doubled over in laughter. Anzu was the first to regain her composure and righted herself.

"Well, Jou, you sure proved us wrong," she smirked. "How was it, Yuugi?"

"Fine," Yuugi said shortly and Jou saw his friend's cheeks were flaming red. "I'm going to go to a different store. I still have Anzu's Christmas present to buy."

"We don't have a present for Otogi," Jou pointed out to Yuugi.

"Here's my share of what we're going to buy. You pick out something," Yuugi pulled out a handful of bills which Jou took. "We'll meet in the food court in half an hour, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Honda agreed.

"Then we can get something to eat, right?" Jou requested.

"Yes, Jou, then we'll tend to the massive organ you call a stomach," Anzu rolled her eyes.

"Massive?" Jou was offended and lifted up his shirt to show off his abs. "Take a look at this six pack! I burn as many calories as I take in."

"I'll see you guys later," Yuugi murmured and Jou watched him walk out of the store.

"You guys didn't have to embarrass Yuug' like that," Jou rounded on Honda and Anzu.

"He can handle a little teasing," Honda assured Jou. "You were the one making the big deal out of it. You were sulking for God's sake."

"I wasn't sulking, I was…" Jou fumbled for an explanation. "I just wasn't sulking. But it wasn't fair to Yuugi. You both know he's never had a kiss."

"Oh, right," Anzu at least had the grace to look ashamed of herself. "Should we apologize?"

"Nah, I think we should let the whole thing drop. He'll get over it," Jou only wondered if he himself would get over it.

"Think he's really pissed and that's why he left?" Honda worried.

"You heard him, he has to buy Anzu's present," Jou waved off the suggestion, but hoped he had not somehow ticked Yuugi off to the point where his invitation to stay for Christmas would be rescinded.

"Okay, well, we had all better buy presents for Otogi. I don't think he'd be too pleased to show up at a Christmas party and not get anything," Anzu picked up another object.

"The guy is almost as rich as Kaiba, what do you think he doesn't have?" Jou chewed the inside of his cheek.

Half an hour later found Jou, Honda, and Anzu by the Orange Julius in the food court waiting for Yuugi who had yet to show. Anzu was the least perturbed and Jou assumed it was because she hoped Yuugi was taking a while to pick out her Christmas present. Honda was trying to get ideas for Shizuka's gift out of Jou who was deliberately being unhelpful, but was only half paying attention because he wondered where Yuugi was. Jou had found a box-set of Otogi's favourite TV series and used most of Yuugi's money to pay for it, hopefully that would make things easier between them and Yuugi would forget Jou's actions.

It was not that Jou wanted Yuugi to disregard the kiss, but if it came down to him hating Jou for it or pretending like it never happened, Jou was all for the charade. All he could do was be grateful his self-control had not left him and he had restrained himself to kissing Yuugi on the forehead. While Jou was lost in thought, Yuugi returned with a couple of shopping bags in his hands.

"Wow, you three look dead. Is this what happens when I'm not around?" Yuugi smiled at them as he took the seat next to Anzu.

"Yuugi, we can't survive without you," Honda shrugged.

"Can we eat now?" Jou avoided looking at Yuugi. "I haven't eaten in hours."

"It's been an hour and a half, Jou. You ate a candy bar before we got here," Anzu reminded.

"Well, it feels like hours," Jou crossed his arms.

"Did you find something for Otogi, Jou?" Yuugi looked at him and Jou felt his face go pink.

"Yes," Jou's blush deepened as his voice cracked. "I mean, yes. It wasn't that hard at a different store. Here's the rest of your money."

"Thanks," Yuugi's fingers brushed Jou's as the money was exchanged, sending a jolt of electricity through Jou's body. "We should get home. I have gifts to wrap. Jou, I think you can wait until we get home to eat something. Besides, that way it won't cost you any extra."

"Good point. Anyway, Honda, Anzu, it was nice to see you both," Jou bowed low to them with a flourish of his arm. "We'll be seeing you on the twenty-third."

"Bye, Jou. Bye, Yuugi," Anzu waved at them as she walked off in a different direction.

"See you, guys," Honda nodded at them both and went in a second direction.

"Do you know, I'm starving," Jou remarked to Yuugi as they headed for the bus stop.

"I never would have guessed that," Yuugi laughed. "Your constant whining about being hungry gave absolutely no indication."

"I don't think it was _constant_ whining," Jou contradicted.

"Just insistent whining?" Yuugi teased. "Anyway, we'll go home, get something to eat, and then wrap presents."

"What did you get me?" Jou asked.

"I'm not telling. You can find out on the twenty third," Yuugi laughed again at the imploring look on Jou's face. "You can make that face all you like, but I won't tell you—it's supposed to be a surprise."

"Fine," Jou pretended to pout.

The day of the Christmas party arrived and Jou was able to find out what everyone had bought for him. He and Yuugi greeted all of the guests and they congregated around the little Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. They each had a small pile of presents and went around, each opening one per turn. Jou mostly received Duel Monsters cards (although Otogi gave everyone something pertaining to Dungeon Dice Monsters).

"Oh, Yuugi, this is beautiful," Anzu exclaimed, examining a book of famous dancers with photographs the small boy had given her.

"I hoped you would like it," Yuugi grinned.

"I do. How did you know I wanted this?" She wondered.

"I had no idea you did. I just saw it and thought of you," Yuugi's cheeks took on some colour as Anzu kissed him on both.

"Well, it's perfect," she declared.

"I wish I could dance," Shizuka sighed, looking at the book in the other girl's hands.

"You know, Shizuka, I could give you some private lessons if you wanted," Otogi offered smoothly, causing Jou's blood to boil.

Yuugi must have sensed Jou's reaction because Yuugi placed a steadying hand on Jou's reflexively clenched fist. Jou was so surprised by the contact he forgot to filter his reactions and let his mouth hang open stupidly. He shot his friend a look out of the corner of his eye, but Yuugi was smiling at Honda's sudden fascination with a blinking ornament on the tree.

"You know, Otogi, that's a very generous offer, but I'm sure I'd be terrible. I should really take professional lessons," Shizuka laughed.

"I can give you the name of an instructor if you like," Anzu supplied.

"Oh, no. Dancing is just one of those things I wish I could do, but probably would never try," Shizuka waved her hand.

"Fair enough," Anzu nodded in understanding.

"Hey, Yuugi, do you have any eggnog? It just doesn't feel like a Christmas party with eggnog," Honda inquired.

"You like that stuff?" Jou grimaced and noticed Yuugi's hand was no longer on his own, he wondered when that had happened.

"Sure, Honda. Anybody else want some?" Yuugi nodded at Shizuka who raised her hand and went into the kitchen.

Jou hopped up and followed Yuugi into the other room. "Let me help you with those."

"It's two glasses, Jou, I'm sure I'll be fine," Yuugi chuckled as he poured eggnog into two cups. "Shizuka is going to start dating eventually."

"Huh? Oh, Otogi," Jou grumbled. "Am I allowed to be sorry I bought him a gift?"

"That's not the Christmas spirit," Yuugi chastised. "He probably does it, in part, to annoy you. He knows you get your back up over Shizuka."

"Yeah, well, he better watch it. One day…" Jou let the threat trail off as he could not think of exactly what he would do to Otogi should the need arise.

"One day, I'm sure you'll beat up Shizuka's first boyfriend," Yuugi assured him.

"Oh, no, she's not dating until she's married. Preferably to a guy of my choosing," Jou declared, scowling.

"That doesn't make sense and you know it," Yuugi shook his head. "Come on, I'm going back into the living room. Be nice, Jou, I don't want you to ruin our party."

"I'm always nice," Jou plastered a smile on his face and preceded Yuugi into the living room.

"Thank you, Yuugi," Shizuka accepted the drink and began sipping it.

"Thanks," Honda took his own glass.

The six teenagers used the next couple of hours to examine the others' Christmas gifts and chat about the marks they had received in school that semester. Around five that evening everyone began to take their leave of the Moto household; Shizuka was the last to leave and she gave Jou one last hug and kiss before she climbed into her mother's car. That left Jou and Yuugi to clean up the wrapping paper and make dinner before Yuugi's grandfather returned home.

Christmas Day was a quiet event as Yuugi and Jou had already exchanged presents, the time was spent putting together a new deck for Jou from the cards he already owned and the ones he had received as gifts. Yuugi did laundry on Boxing Day while Jou helped Gramps out with the store. Jou wondered what Yuugi would think of doing his friend's laundry and what he thought of Jou's choices for boxers (Jou liked graphics). He already knew Yuugi thought his pyjama pants were cool, but there was something more intimate about his underwear. Gramps put Jou to work cleaning all the places Yuugi was unable to reach without the help of a ladder or an extending cleaner.

"So, Grandpa put your lazy butt to work today," Yuugi remarked while they were getting into bed that night. "How was it?"

"I am so sore," Jou declared, rolling his shoulders. "I didn't know I could stretch so far."

"Didn't even tell me that you're not lazy, you must be tired," Yuugi observed.

"I thought I'd take it in stride. I know you don't mean it. Besides, I'm not the one who ducked helping Gramps to do laundry _all day_," Jou shot.

"Someone has to wash your dirty socks. Would you like me to teach you how to work the washing machine?" Yuugi raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, you were of more help to Grandpa than I could have been. Do you know it takes two of us to clean a ceiling fan? One to dust and one to hold the ladder."

Jou could not help laughing and Yuugi shot him a dirty look. "I'm sorry, but that's fucking funny. You have to admit, it's a funny image."

"Yeah, well…" Yuugi looked away as though he knew he would not win the argument.

"God, my back is in knots," Jou complained as he lay down in his sleeping bag.

"Stop grumbling. Get up here," Yuugi ordered and patted the bed.

"W-what are you going to do?" Jou had spent a considerable amount of time being afraid of what would happen if he got Yuugi on that bed.

"Just come and sit, will you?" Yuugi sighed.

"Fine," Jou relented.

He sat on the bed, Yuugi scooted closer to him, touching Jou's bare back with his soft hands, and Jou had to stop himself from shivering at the feeling. Yuugi pressed hard on Jou's shoulder blades and moved his hands in a circular pattern, trying to be gentle on the tense places. Moving his hands further down Jou's back, Yuugi used his thumbs on some areas. As Yuugi's surprisingly nimble hands made their way down Jou's spinal column, Jou melted into the touch, letting himself relax and closing his eyes.

"Feeling better?" Yuugi inquired after fifteen minutes of ministrations.

"Yes," Jou whispered. "Well, I think it's time for me to turn in for the night. Have a good sleep, Yuug'."

"You, too," Yuugi curled up under his comforter.

"That was a bad idea, Jou," he told himself while lying in his his sleeping bag, somewhat hard. He should never have climbed onto the bed because staying in his sleeping bag would not have led to his being massaged by Yuugi which, in turn, would not have caused him to forget that receiving said massage was just a friendly gesture which, finally, would not have triggered his current state of arousal that was not going away. Jou thought very hard about the most unsexy things he could until his erection subsided and he finally drifted to sleep.

The Kame Game Shop was open for the few days between Christmas and New Year's so both Jou and Yuugi were put to work during the rush of people wanting to return or exchange gifts they had received. Finally, New Year's Eve arrived and Yuugi and Jou began to help close up the shop for the next couple of days. Yuugi and Jou were going to be celebrating New Year's Eve alone this year—all their friends (and even Yuugi's grandfather) had plans with family or other friends—but Jou could not have cared less. He was spending it with the person who mattered most to him.

"Hey, Yuug', do we have all the snacks ready for our party tonight?" Jou wondered once Gramps had left and they were alone at Yuugi's.

"First of all, it's not a party, it's us, a couple of movies, and watching the specials. Secondly, do you ever stop thinking of your stomach?" Yuugi laughed.

"We can't watch movies all night without snacks," Jou replied simply.

"Well, you're in luck because all the snacks are sitting in the kitchen just waiting to be put into bowls," Yuugi informed.

"Sweet," Jou trailed Yuugi down the stairs and into the kitchen. "What did you buy for us to eat? It better not be those vegetable chips Gramps gets."

"That was one time, and I told you not to try them, _and_ you stole them anyway," Yuugi reminded. "It was your own fault."

"Yeah, yeah, blame me for everything," Jou rolled his eyes and began rooting through the cupboards looking for great snack finds. "Hey, these look good."

"I know what you like, Jou," Yuugi said in a soft voice and Jou hoped Yuugi knew only so much. "Come on, don't stuff your face in here. At least wait until we have a movie in the player."

"Okay," Jou said around a mouthful of chips.

"You're kind of gross," Yuugi said, taking two bowls of snacks into the living room and Jou did brought in the drinks.

"Come on, I'm adorable," Jou swallowed the food in his mouth and grinned at Yuugi.

"Whatever you say," Yuugi sat down on the couch.

They picked a movie and settled in to watch. Jou helped himself to more food and Yuugi sipped on his drink while the movie played. After the first movie they put in a second, but when that one finished, they decided to watch the New Year's Eve special broadcast from the Domino City square.

"Can you believe it's almost next year?" Yuugi had a pillow in his lap and was tugging at the tassels. "And soon enough it'll be your birthday."

"Yeah. Another year older, another year closer to freedom," Jou was caught up in visions of leaving his dad's place. Even though his old man was trying to clean up his act and get sober, Jou needed to get away, that was one of the reasons he had a job when he could swing it.

"You're really going to move out?" Yuugi looked impressed.

"Well, yeah. I can't live with my dad forever. You're not planning on living with Gramps for the rest of your life, are you?" Jou wondered.

"I guess not," Yuugi bit his lip.

"Whatever, it's not like you have to decide right this minute," Jou assured him.

"No," Yuugi shook his head as if to clear it.

"Is that all that's bothering you?" Jou was worried.

"Yeah. You know, there's just so much that happens around holidays, it's just a little overwhelming," Yuugi explained.

"Fair enough," Jou relaxed and turned back to the television. It was ten minutes to midnight.

"Jou," Yuugi spoke again after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Yeah, Yuug'?" Jou saw Yuugi's drawn brows and knew something big was going on in Yuugi's brain.

"I've heard this superstition that the person you kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve is the person with whom you spend the next year. Isn't there a girl you'd rather spend New Year's with instead of your friend?" Yuugi looked at him and Jou began to sweat.

"Tied down to one girl? Nah, Yuug', I want to be here with you," Jou tried to keep his voice steady. "Why? Wish you were with some cutie from History?" It was six minutes to midnight.

"No," Yuugi sounded and looked vulnerable. "I want to be here with you, too."

"Good. Because I'm here now and you're stuck with me," Jou tried to laugh off the awkwardness of the situation.

"Are you alright?" Yuugi gave Jou a piercing look and scooted closer to him on the couch.

"I'm fine," Jou lied and jumped when Yuugi's cool hand touched his forehead. It was five minutes to midnight.

"You feel a little warm and you're sweating. Are you sick?" Yuugi asked.

"No," Jou stated emphatically.

Yuugi gave Jou another long look and Jou felt himself heating up at the scrutiny. "If you're sure you're feeling all right…"

"I could run a marathon I feel so great," Jou joked at four minutes to midnight.

"I think you should wait until the weather improves. Don't want you to actually get sick running around in this weather," Yuugi was still sitting very close to Jou who was still sweating.

"Thanks for your concern, Yuug'," Jou tried to grin, but guessed it was hardly persuasive.

"You're acting a little weird, Jou," Yuugi accused.

"I probably just ate too quickly," Jou suggested. It was three minutes to midnight.

"You? Eat too quickly?" Yuugi laughed. "Besides, I thought you were feeling fine."

"It…it just hit me," Jou shrugged.

Yuugi looked like he was debating whether or not to believe Jou's story; he must have decided to drop it because he just folded his hands in his lap and watched the TV. They were quiet until the people on the television began counting down the final minute and a half of the year, then Yuugi turned to Jou and Jou had the feeling something big was about to happen. He just hoped Yuugi would forgive him.

"You know, Yuug', if there _was_ someone you wanted to kiss on New Year's Eve you could tell me," Jou's heart was pounding.

"I couldn't tell you," Yuugi shook his head. "You'd think I was gross."

"I thought you knew me better than that," Jou put on offended look. "Unless it was Anzu, then you'd need to get your head examined."

"Ha ha," Yuugi looked uncomfortable. "How 'bout you? Who are you burning to kiss for New Year's?"

"Nothing ventured nothing gained, right?" Jou thought to himself and looked into Yuugi's eyes before speaking out loud. "You, Yuug'."

The last ten seconds of that year were the longest ten seconds of Jou's life: Yuugi turned red, stared at his hands for two seconds, leaned in, and kissed Jou on the lips. Jou was so shocked he could not even respond to the kiss for the first second, but as Yuugi was about to pull away, Jou found muscle control and grabbed Yuugi's shoulders, tugging him closer. Nothing existed for Jou while Yuugi's lips were touching his except for the two of them.

"Happy New Year," Yuugi murmured when Jou finally let go of him.

"Yeah," Jou swallowed hard. "Yuug', you didn't have to do that just because I wanted it."

"I didn't," Yuugi had somehow moved to the opposite end of the couch. "I did it because I wanted it."

"You wanted it?" Jou was having difficulty processing this new development. "Does this mean?"

"Jou, I've had a crush on you for a while now," Yuugi would not look him in the eye.

"You have?"

Jou wanted to see Yuugi's eyes, wanted to that his friend was speaking the truth. He knew Yuugi would never tease him over this, but Jou needed to make sure Yuugi was not just trying to make him happy. Yuugi nodded.

"Then why won't you look at me?" Jou wanted to tilt Yuugi's face up to look at him, but he was afraid.

"Because I just threw myself at you. How pathetic can someone get?" Yuugi was flushed with embarrassment.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have thrown yourself at me if I hadn't told you I wanted to kiss you," Jou reasoned. "If we both wanted this, why can't we look at each other?"

"I don't know," Yuugi laughed shakily.

"On the count of three?" Jou proposed.

"Okay," Yuugi nodded. "One."

"Two," Jou counted.

"Three," they said in unison and looked at each other.

Yuugi looked at Jou, Jou looked at Yuugi, and they smiled shyly at each other. Jou moved closer to Yuugi and collected the smaller boy in his arms; Yuugi wrapped his arms around Jou's neck and allowed the taller boy to put his arms around his waist. They sat there for a few moments, foreheads touching, and said nothing to each other. All Jou wanted to do was throw Yuugi down on the floor and have his way with him, but Jou figured that would scare Yuugi so Jou settled for nestling his face in Yuugi's hair and placing a kiss on his head.

"I want another kiss," Yuugi requested.

"With pleasure," Jou leant in and pressed his lips to Yuugi's who made a noise in his throat.

"We shouldn't do this here," Yuugi broke the kiss. "Grandpa could be home any minute. I'm actually surprised he's not home yet. I don't know if he'd be too thrilled to see this."

"Doesn't want to walk in on his grandson kissing another guy? Can't imagine why that would be," Jou let go of Yuugi and they both stood.

"It'll be easier in my room," Yuugi took Jou's hand and they walked upstairs.

They made out for hours on Yuugi's bed, Jou longing to go further, but not wanting to rush the new development, and Yuugi seemed hesitant to move his hands lower than Jonouchi's hips where he rested them somewhere around one thirty in the morning. Honestly, Jou loved Yuugi in the winter when they were just beginning to explore their feelings for each other even though Yuugi made Jou continue to sleep in the sleeping bag until he had to go back to his father's. Jou loved Yuugi all year long.

~:+:~

So they're together. Yay! I couldn't decide whether or not to have them kiss in winter or spring because they both seem so romantic, but I thought a New Year's Eve kiss would be cute. Please R & R!


	4. Spring

So, this is going to be the last chapter for those who don't want to read my first shot at a lemon. Thank you to everyone who's read the story and a big thank you to those who have reviewed—it means a lot to me.

**Disclaimer:** No. Just no.

~:+:~

Jou loved Yuugi in the spring when the world came to life, fresh and new like their relationship. At first they tried to keep it quiet and to themselves, but it proved difficult to have alone time when it simply sounded like two friends making plans to hang out or go for dinner. So, after many potential dates had been imposed on by unsuspecting friends, Jou and Yuugi came to the decision it was best to let their friends in on their little secret. They were trying to figure it out when, one day, their problem was solved by Honda.

"What are you two up to?" Honda demanded one afternoon when he, Jou, Yuugi, and Anzu were sitting at a booth at Burger World.

"Which two of us do you mean?" Anzu wondered.

"The other two. Jou and Yuugi have been weird since Jou's birthday," Honda tried to back up his theory.

Jou remembered his birthday very well. Yuugi had made a big fuss about it and Jou wondered if that would not tip off the people they knew to their clandestine activities. Luckily, Anzu, Shizuka, and Honda had all been busy the actual night of Jou's birthday so he and Yuugi were able to have a romantic dinner and Yuugi had convinced his grandfather to let Jou spend the night at their place. It was the first time they had slept in the same bed since they had started dating and Jou had been happy to fall asleep with his arms around Yuugi's warm body.

"I _know_," Anzu agreed with Honda and pulled Jou from his reminiscing. "I feel like you guys are hiding something from us."

"Ooh, my birthday's coming up, are you planning something?" Honda looked excited.

"Sorry, pal, that's not it," Jou shook his head.

"Fine, but you'll see how big a deal I make over _your_ next birthday," Honda harrumphed.

"Oh, get a grip," Anzu rolled her eyes. "You said that's not it, Jou, that means that something is it, right? Well, come on."

"Okay, but you have to promise not to overreact. Either of you," Jou glared at Anzu and Honda and, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yuugi's cheeks burning with colour.

"Would I overreact to anything you could tell me?" Honda looked affronted.

"Neither of us will overreact," Anzu put her hand on Honda's arm as she promised this.

"Yuugi and I are…" Jou realized revealing their relationship was going to be harder than he had previously thought.

"Dating," Yuugi added, the colour high in his face, but he did not look ashamed and Jou could have kissed him then and there for his bravery.

The reaction this elicited from Honda and Anzu was muted compared to what Jou had expected from them. True, Honda fell off his chair and Anzu was rendered speechless, but the aftermath was better than Jou could have hoped. Yuugi took his hand and they faced their friends together. Anzu, as usual, was the first to gather her wits and she smiled at them.

"Wow, you two. Honestly, I never saw it coming," she admitted. "Honda get off the floor. I doubt it's been washed this week."

"I don't know if I can move. Ouch!" Honda was unceremoniously dragged up from the floor by his ear by Anzu.

"Listen, you need to sit here and be happy for them because (look at them) they're happy. We're their friends and they need our support," Anzu instructed.

"I'm happy. I'm allowed to be a little shocked, though," Honda defended. "Since when has this been going on?"

"Since New Year's Eve," Jou informed. "You two are being really cool about this."

"This isn't the calm before the storm, is it?" Yuugi looked nervous and Jou gently squeezed his hand.

"Don't be silly," Anzu still looked a little dazed, but she smiled.

"New Year's Eve? It's April! That's four months and you didn't tell us sooner?" Honda had moved on from being surprised to being affronted again. "Wait a minute, that time you two were going to that restaurant and I asked if I could come, that wasn't a date; was it?"

"Yes, Honda, it was," Yuugi nodded.

"And that time Anzu and I tagged along with you to the movies?" Honda continued.

"That would be another date you ruined," Jou pressed his lips together.

"We've been cock-blocking them, Anzu!" Honda looked embarrassed at his actions and Anzu looked embarrassed at the term. "Are you two having sex?"

"Honda!" Anzu looked positively mortified. "You can't just ask these things. What if I was dating someone and we were out for dinner. You wouldn't just ask him if he was sleeping with me."

"This is different, they're both our friends," Honda rationalized.

"It's still totally personal!" Anzu fairly shrieked. "Don't answer his question, guys. Even if you are, I don't want to know."

"Relax, Anzu, we're going slowly," Jou assured her.

In fact, they were taking things painfully slowly in Jou's opinion. Jou and Yuugi had been together four months and they had only just begun exploring each other's bodies. Yuugi had not even allowed Jou to see him naked; when they had slept together on Jou's birthday, Yuugi had still insisted on changing in the bathroom.

"That's way too much information," Honda faked being sick on the floor.

"You're the one who asked!" Yuugi looked incredulous.

"Right. Something I'm deeply regretting right about now," Honda neatly avoided being hit in the back of the head by Anzu.

"Well, I'm happy for you," Anzu declared. "I have to go to dance class, but I'll see you all in school on Monday."

"Bye, Anzu," the boys said together and watched her leave.

"So," Honda immediately looked uncomfortable.

"We're the same as we used to be, we're just together now," Jou said, trying to reassure Honda. "You didn't treat us any differently between January and yesterday."

"Yeah, but I didn't know," Honda explained. "Now that I know, it's like I've lost some guy friends."

"Lost guy friends?" Yuugi was obviously confused. "Did we switch genders or something?"

"Okay, so maybe I didn't _lose_ guy friends, but it's different. Who am I going to check out girls with now that you like guys?" Honda demanded of Jou.

"I always liked guys. That never stopped us from checking out girls before, I like both," Jou shrugged.

"But I didn't know," Honda repeated. "And even if you do like both, it's not as though you and I can go cruising when you've got a boyfriend."

"When did we ever go cruising for girls?" Jou pointed out realistically.

"And now we never can," Honda exclaimed dramatically. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you guys—"

"Sure sounds like it," Jou grumbled.

"I am. You two are the cutest guy/guy couple I know. But things are going to change now," Honda predicted. "Just wait and see."

"They don't have to change," Jou protested.

As it turned out, things hardly changed at all in Jou's opinion (which was grudgingly backed up by Honda when asked), there were just fewer group outings and more dates. At school, they still ate lunch together and, when they were out the four of them, Jou and Yuugi kept their couple-ness to a bare minimum to avoid making Honda and Anzu feel uncomfortable. Ryuji had reacted calmly to seeing Yuugi and Jou as boyfriends and Shizuka was overjoyed for them.

Eventually, Yuugi decided they should tell his grandfather about their relationship; it was not that Jou disagreed with this idea, but he worried about the older man's reaction to the news. Firstly, Jou did not want Sugoroku to have a heart attack upon hearing his grandson, his pride and joy, was gay. Secondly, Jou did not want to be banned from the Moto house as it was his place of refuge from his crazy home life. Jou had no idea what he would do if Gramps threw him out of his house on the spot.

"Grandpa," Yuugi called into the living room one Friday night after he and Jou had cleaned up the dinner dishes.

"Yes, Yuugi?" Sugoroku came into the kitchen.

"I have something to tell you," Yuugi continued. "I don't know if you're going to like what I have to say, but, please, just hear me out."

"Of course," Sugoroku shot Jou a questioning glance, but Jou tried to keep his face as blank as possible.

"Well, Grandpa, I'm gay. I've known for a while now, but I didn't want to tell you until I was serious about someone. Jou and I have been dating for a few months and…it's serious," Yuugi did not say this rapidly. Rather, it all flowed out consciously and coherently, and Jou was impressed at his boyfriend's eloquence.

Sugoroku said nothing for a moment then his face broke into a smile. "Katsuya, didn't I tell you that cooking was the way to this young man's stomach?"

"Yes, Gramps," Jou felt himself go scarlet.

"You're okay with this Grandpa?" Yuugi was making sure, but Jou thought he should not try to push their luck.

"If you're happy, I'm okay with just about anything," Sugoroku declared. "I have one condition."

"Keep the door unlocked?" Yuugi guessed.

"Good lord, no! I may be okay with it, but I don't want to walk in on you. Just be safe. You hear so much about those sexually transmitted diseases these days," Sugoroku looked concerned.

"They call them sexually transmitted infections now," Yuugi corrected automatically. "Wait, Jou and I can still have sleepovers?"

"The same rules apply," Sugoroku shrugged. "Not on school nights and you have to have permission from Katsuya's father, but you're both almost adults and you're going to do it with our without my blessing. I might as well accept it."

"Thanks, Grandpa," Yuugi gave Sugoroku a hug.

"Thanks, Gramps," Jou shook Sugoroku's extended hand.

"If you hurt my grandson, I will hire a couple of thugs to make you hurt," Sugoroku threatened jokingly.

"Yes, Sir," Jou nodded solemnly.

"I think he was kidding, Jou," Yuugi sounded uncertain.

"Was I?" Sugoroku looked at his grandson and then laughed. "Whether I was or not, I know you'll do your best to keep him happy."

"I will," Jou nodded again.

"Grandpa, we're done the dishes, can we go upstairs?" Yuugi inquired.

"Of course. Heaven forbid you spend time with your dear old grandfather before he shuffles off this mortal coil," Sugoroku teased.

"You're not even close to dying, Grandpa. Jou and I are going up to my room, I'm sure you can find some way to entertain yourself," Yuugi rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Good night boys," Sugoroku gave Yuugi and affectionate pat on the shoulder and the teenagers went upstairs.

"Your grandpa took that really well," Jou observed.

"Yeah. But he's good like that," Yuugi explained. "He takes some things in his stride. Even though he can make a big deal about little things on occasion, big things are always met with a cool head and an open mind."

"That's good. I was half afraid he was going to die of shock when we told him. Or forcibly remove me from the building," Jou confessed.

"He would never do that. He likes you too much," Yuugi assured confidently.

"Let's hope it stays that way," Jou crossed his fingers.

"Just don't break my heart," Yuugi advised.

"I will do my very best," Jou promised, taking Yuugi in his arms and kissing him. "Yuug', I love you."

"I love you, too," Yuugi replied immediately. "It's not too early for me to say that, is it?"

"Only if it's too early for me to say it. I did say it first," Jou smiled and sat on Yuugi's bed. "I meant it, Yuug'. There's no one in the world I care about like I care about you."

"Thanks, Jou," Yuugi sat next to Jou and rested his head against Jou's arm.

"Now, lie back," Jou instructed. "I'm not going to do anything but kiss you, I swear."

"Okay," Yuugi looked like he had no problem with this arrangement and happily lay back on his bed.

Jou covered Yuugi's body with his own, but rested his weight on his legs and arms so as not to crush the other boy. Yuugi put his hands on Jou's shoulders and tilted his head up to meet Jou's lips with his, moaning a little as the kiss deepened. The blonde boy broke the kiss to undo Yuugi's choker, pepper kisses along Yuugi's neck, and run his hands over Yuugi's body. The smaller boy wriggled in pleasure and the hands that had been resting innocently on Jou's shoulder began to roam, touching his face, chest, and…

"Hey!" Jou yelped in surprise, he had been enthralled in suckling at Yuugi's collarbone when an astonishingly adventurous pair of hands had slipped over his rear end.

"I'm sorry?" Yuugi said, not looking the least repentant.

"Don't be sorry," Jou nipped at Yuugi's neck. "I was just surprised to feel you touching my ass. Someone's getting bold."

"I wanted to pull you closer," Yuugi explained.

"Closer, huh?" Jou stopped bracing himself around Yuugi and collapsed onto the smaller boy. "How's this for close?"

"Perfect," was Yuugi's strangled reply. "If only I could breathe."

"Breathing is overrated," Jou nuzzled Yuugi's neck, but shifted his weight.

"Thank you," Yuugi took a deep breath.

They resumed kissing and Jou was taken aback at how unapologetically Yuugi's hands were exploring his body, they touched Jou all over, even brushing against his crotch which had Jou arching his back and holding back a moan. That did not seem to satisfy Yuugi who began to rub Jou's most sensitive area through his jeans, the repeated friction broke Jou's restraint into pieces and he began to lean into the touches and moan. Yuugi grinned against Jou's lips and moved Jou's hand under his shirt. Jou felt himself harden even more as his hands traveled the soft expanse of Yuugi's bare torso, he removed his hands from under Yuugi's shirt and, reluctantly breaking the kiss, Jou lifted it over his boyfriend's head and threw it on the floor, immediately followed by his own.

"We're not going to take this further than you want," Jou assured Yuugi, lightly running his fingers down Yuugi's sides.

"I don't know how much I want to do," Yuugi looked torn between pleasure and fear.

"Say the word and we stop," Jou looked into Yuugi's eyes then kissed him on the forehead. "I won't do anything you don't want. I love you."

"I trust you," Yuugi nodded.

"Good," Jou wrapped his arms around Yuugi and flipped them so Yuugi was on top of Jou.

The feeling of Yuugi's chest against his almost sent Jou's senses into overload, it was warm and he could feel the other's heart pounding. Jou tried to calm Yuugi by rubbing circles on his back and not moving his hands from their places, but when Yuugi was tweaking his nipple, there was nothing he could do but cup Yuugi's behind and knead it. Yuugi took deep shuddering breaths through his mouth and Jou looked at him, concern etched in his face.

"Yuug', you okay?" Jou put his hands on Yuugi's shoulders and furrowed his brow.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Yuugi enlightened.

"What do you mean?" Jou struggled into a seated position.

"There's so much I'm feeling and so much I want to do, and I'm scared," Yuugi continued.

"Hey, there's no reason to be scared. It's just us, just the two of us," Jou put his arms around Yuugi's shoulders. "You don't need to be scared with me."

"I know, but I'm not scared of you. I'm scared of… I don't know why I'm scared I guess," Yuugi looked frustrated.

"You feel whatever you need to feel, I'm here," Jou promised.

"And there you go again," Yuugi laughed a little.

"Again? What am I doing?" Jou was confused.

"Making me want to jump on you and let you," Yuugi paused, "fuck me."

"You said fuck. Yuug' you never say fuck," Jou wondered what kind of effect he was having on Yuugi.

"That's what you do to me, I want to be…" Yuugi coloured. "But, like I said, I'm scared."

"There's no rush," Jou told Yuugi. "We'll get there when we get there."

"We'll get there, though?" Yuugi looked hopeful.

"I don't think there's any doubt of that," Jou looked at Yuugi's lap and saw his own state or arousal mirrored there. "I think we should do something else until bedtime."

"That's probably a good idea," Yuugi bit his lip.

"I mean, we can continue, but I'm going to need some release before I go to sleep if you keep getting me hot and bothered," Jou gave Yuugi a lopsided grin.

"Do you have your deck? We could duel," Yuugi suggested.

They dueled and Jou actually held his own for a while, but it was nearly one in the morning by the time they finished and they agreed it was time for bed. Yuugi still changed in the bathroom, but when he returned to the bedroom, he was only in his pyjama bottoms and Jou grinned at his boyfriend's bashful expression. Jou, who was already lying in bed, pretended to wolf whistle which made the smaller teen's cheeks turn pink.

* * *

For the next couple of weeks sex was a non-issue as they spent a lot of time with Honda and Anzu making plans for Honda's birthday; Honda was excited and Jou felt it was his duty to be excited with and for his friend. After Honda's birthday, there were a lot of group outings and Honda invited Yuugi and Jou to sleep over at his house which left little time for the latter two to have much time alone. One afternoon, the four friends went to a movie and Jou and Yuugi trailed behind Honda and Anzu, talking heatedly.

"Come on, Yuug', no one's even looking," Jou swivelled his head around, scoping out who _could_ be looking at them.

"People move around, Jou," Yuugi stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Why are you so scared of someone seeing us holding hands?" Jou demanded.

"Not everyone is as accepting of us as my grandpa and our friends," Yuugi explained.

"Can we cuddle in the theatre at least?" Jou requested.

"Someone's very touchy-feely today," Yuugi observed.

"You're my boyfriend, I want to be able to touch and feel you," Jou retorted. "It's holding hands for Christ's sake, I'm not asking for a blow job here in the middle of the parking lot."

"Jou!" Yuugi hissed, flushing.

"Loosen up, Yuug'," Jou laughed harshly.

"Meaning "do what I say or you're too uptight"," Yuugi interpreted.

"Meaning "I love you and I want to hold your damn hand"," Jou corrected. "But you are a little too uptight."

"I'm interested in self-preservation," Yuugi grumbled, but took Jou's proffered hand.

"That's better," Jou smiled and squeezed Yuugi's hand.

They watched the movie with Honda and Anzu, and Jou made sure to hold Yuugi's hand tightly throughout so he could not get away. After the movie, Jou and Yuugi went to the park where the trees were growing brand new leaves and the ducks were walking with their brand new ducklings. Hand in hand they strolled along the paths, Jou was glad Yuugi had relaxed a little, but then he had the sense something was wrong. Jou noticed there were two men following them and muttering to each other.

"Yuug', let's take a right here," Jou indicated a break in the path.

"Sure," Yuugi agreed.

"Hey, you two have a problem?" Jou asked of the two men walking behind him and his boyfriend.

"I have a problem," one of the guys grimaced. "I have a problem with fairies."

"Me, too, Al," the second guy cracked his knuckles.

"We're not hurting anyone. Why don't you two just leave us alone," Jou dropped Yuugi's hand and glared at the men.

"You know, we could, but then you wouldn't learn your lesson," Al glared at them. "You know what I think, Bob? I think we should teach these two that it's not a great idea to flaunt your sexuality in the faces of those who would rather not know."

"We passed another couple, a few metres back, holding hands. You going to beat them up, too?" Jou sounded a lot braver than he felt. It was one thing to defend Yuugi from high school bullies, but these were two grown men and Jou was one teenager, but he would be damned if he let them get away with saying what they were saying.

"There's nothing unnatural about an old man and his wife walking hand in hand," Bob advanced on Jou.

"There's nothing unnatural about this either," Jou knew it would only provoke the men, but he was pissed, so he kissed Yuugi on the lips. _What are you doing_ was written all over Yuugi's face, but Jou thought he had come up with a plan.

"So, they're frisky," Al looked angrier as Jou held Yuugi.

"Gets my blood boiling," Bob scowled.

"You liked that? How about this?" Jou thrust his tongue into Yuugi's mouth, holding on tightly to his boyfriend because he knew the smaller teen would fall over without his physical support.

"Hey, Al, what if they have AIDS?" Bob whispered loudly enough for Jou to hear.

"You're scared of AIDS, huh?" Jou let go of Yuugi and moved closer to the two men. "What if we _do_ have it? You going to risk swapping bodily fluids with me? Because there's no way you could "teach me a lesson" without beating it into me."

"Is he threatening us?" Bob was visibly scared now.

"He doesn't have AIDS," Al barked.

"Bet your life on it?" Jou cocked an eyebrow. "I've heard it takes up to ten years to intubate—"

"Incubate," Yuugi corrected, looking scared, but also slightly amused.

"Thank you. It takes up to ten years to show up. I might not even know I have it yet, but it's there," Jou taunted.

"I'm not risking it," Bob took off running.

"And you?" Jou felt he could take on one by himself if necessary.

"You know what, Fairy," Al forced all his venom into the last word, "it might almost be worth it to put you and your "friend" in traction."

"Come on, then," Jou clenched his fists.

"No, it's not worth it," Al shook his head. "Two infected queers aren't going to fuck up my life. I'm out of here."

"Nice meeting you," Jou called out as Al stalked away from them. "Guess my plan worked."

"You had a _plan_?" Yuugi's voice was shrill.

"Of course. Got them thinking about us having AIDS," Jou had to admit he was pretty proud of himself and what he had done. "You don't think I could have taken them on by myself, do you?"

"I was hoping you weren't going to try," Yuugi still looked shaken.

"Then I needed a plan to get us out of here without a scratch," Jou put his arm around Yuugi's shoulder.

"You realize this proves my earlier point," Yuugi said as they started walking again.

"Which one?" Jou asked.

"The self-preservation one when we hold hands. We were nearly beaten for holding hands," Yuugi reminded.

"What's life without a little excitement?" Jou wondered, taking up Yuugi's hand.

"You're going to get me killed one of these days," Yuugi sighed, but did not let go of Jou.

"I will never let that happen," Jou promised. "It's us against the world, Yuug'."

"That's a depressing point of view. I like to think we have a few people on our side," Yuugi mused. "Grandpa, and our friends, and your sister are with us."

"You're full of points today," Jou chuckled.

"Well, you can't just write off the people who care about us," Yuugi insisted. "Are you going to tell your dad?"

Jou thought about that for a moment. Yes, his father was still working on his sobriety and on being a better and more supportive father, but Jou was hesitant to reveal his sexuality to his father. "No, not yet."

"I understand," Yuugi's face was hard to read. "I guess we won't be spending nights at your place anytime soon."

"You want to sleep at that hell-hole?" Jou queried.

"It's not so bad," Yuugi lied.

"You know you like sleeping in your own bed," Jou pulled Yuugi close to his body. "At my place, you're going to have to sleep in a sleeping bag."

"I wouldn't get to crawl into your bed and snuggle with you?" Yuugi was so adorable Jou had to kiss him. "Why'd you do that?"

"You're too cute sometimes," Jou grinned.

"I am?" Yuugi blinked.

"You are. You know, I think I'm going to keep you," Jou kissed Yuugi on the cheek. "God, I love you."

The world may have been an imperfect place, but for the moment, the love between Jou and Yuugi was all the former needed to feel perfection. Jou loved Yuugi in the spring when they were building up their relationship and falling in love with each other. Jou loved Yuugi all year long.

~:+:~

And, done. I'm working on a final chapter with a lemon, but I'm not entirely sure it's going to happen so, please, enjoy the four chapters that currently exist. Thanks again for reading!


	5. Next Summer

Do not read this if you don't like boy x boy sex scenes. This is just a little extra something to go along with my story. It's not necessary to the rest of the chapters, but I wanted to write it. Haters should deal with it and get on with their lives.

**Disclaimer:** I like Yu-Gi-Oh!, but I don't own it. You've seen how my mind works, do you think I could write for a children's show/manga?

~:+:~

Jou still loved Yuugi in the summer, loved him more than he had the previous summer now they were together. It was Friday evening and Jou was supposed to spend the night at Yuugi's, but Jou was currently stuck in the line-up at the supermarket waiting to buy two chocolate éclairs. He was not exactly sure why he was buying two chocolate éclairs, but Yuugi wanted them so buy them Jou would. Yuugi's grandfather was out of town for the next couple of days so he and Jou had the house all to themselves, and, though Yuugi had yet to confirm it, you had the sneaking suspicion his boyfriend was up to something.

Finally, Jou had the two éclairs in a bag and was on his way to Yuugi's to do whatever Yuugi had on the agenda. Yuugi greeted Jou with a big smile on his lips and led Jou into the house by the hand. Jou set the éclairs on the table and took Yuugi into his arms, kissing him deeply.

"Sorry I'm late," Jou murmured when he let go of Yuugi.

"You _are_ late," Yuugi looked at the clock. "I should be mad at you."

"I'm late because _someone_ called me and asked me to bring over two chocolate éclairs after I worked all day," Jou pointed out, smiling.

"Excuses," Yuugi rolled his eyes, moving closer to Jou. "I can think of a way you can make it up to me, though."

"Like this?" Jou kissed Yuugi again.

"That's a good way to start," Yuugi giggled. "We should start on dinner. It'll be late before we eat and I'm getting hungry."

"So am I," Jou concurred and looked at the counter where the ingredients for the wonderful supper Yuugi had planned were displayed.

Dinner was prepared as quickly as possible and consumed at lightning speed before the two teenagers headed upstairs to Yuugi's bedroom. Yuugi opened the door and Jou's jaw dropped at his first sight of the room. There were ten or so candles (unlit as of yet) around the room, there were sheets on the bed Jou had never seen, and Yuugi turned on the stereo so romantic music could be heard. Jou turned, wordlessly, to his boyfriend who smiled shyly.

"Get undressed," Yuugi requested softly.

"Whatever you want," Jou nodded, still having trouble processing everything that was happening. "You're doing it, too, right?"

"Yes," Yuugi began undoing his neck buckle.

Jou was out of his clothes in a flash and stood, watching Yuugi fumble with the ties on his leather trousers, so he went behind his boyfriend and helped untie his pants. Yuugi was shaking a little and Jou pressed kisses to Yuugi's neck and shoulders. As Yuugi stepped out of his bottoms and boxers, Jou turned Yuugi to face him. This was the first time Yuugi had allowed Jou to see him naked. Jou tried to be as respectful of Yuugi's shyness as he could, but he could not contain his excitement at his first sight of Yuugi's whole body. Yuugi seemed impressed with Jou's body, but Jou had not been particularly worried about that; his primary concern was making Yuugi feel as comfortable with the situation as possible.

"You're perfect," Jou told Yuugi honestly as they stood in the middle of Yuugi's room not touching each other, just looking.

"I'm not," Yuugi feasted his eyes on Jou's muscled chest and lower.

"I think you are," Jou insisted and held Yuugi's face in his hands, making Yuugi look up into his face.

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly painful to look at you," Yuugi laughed nervously.

"You can relax, Yuug', it's just me," Jou advised. "I don't want you to pass out on me."

"I'm not going to pass out," Yuugi shot him a dirty look. "This is just freaking me out a little."

"Don't freak out, it's the two of us naked. I was going to see you naked eventually," Jou stroked Yuugi's hair.

"I know. I've just never…well, you know. No one's seen me naked since I was, like, five. And they never looked at me like you're looking at me," Yuugi explained. "It's different for you, you've been with girls."

"Hey, I'm no slut," Jou defended, half joking. "Sure, I've done things with girls, but I never had sex with them and I have never been naked in front of a guy like this. This is a first for me, too."

"So why aren't you anxious?" Yuugi demanded.

"Because I love you, and I know you love me, and that makes me calm," Jou took Yuugi's hands in his and led him to the bed. "Yuug', I've told you before, but I'll tell you again. We're not going further than you want. You're in control here."

"Okay," Yuugi nodded.

Then Yuugi did something Jou would never have expected, he pushed Jou down on the bed and climbed on top of him. To say Jou was surprised would have been an understatement, but he forgot to think about it when he was kissed and a hand began sliding up and down his chest; he allowed himself to relax into the bed and enjoy Yuugi's roving hands. Jou permitted himself a few moments of doing nothing but holding Yuugi before he decided he could risk touching Yuugi back, running his fingers over the backs of Yuugi's thighs. That action elicited a gasp and Jou took that opportunity to slide his tongue into his boyfriend's mouth.

There was enjoyable heat pressing on Jou's groin and Yuugi's weight and occasional movements made Jou very aroused. Yuugi seemed more comfortable as time progressed and Jou could tell Yuugi was turned on, too, but he did not want to spook the jittery teen by moving too quickly so he slowly worked his hand from the outside of Yuugi's thigh to the inside. When Jou's hand reached its destination, Yuugi lightly bucked his hips into the touch, and Jou smiled at the reaction, making his strokes surer.

"Mm, Jou, stop," Yuugi sounded reluctant, but Jou stopped.

"Problem, Love?" Jou grinned rakishly.

"Kind of," Yuugi looked embarrassed. "It feels good, but I don't want to…"

"Come?" Jou supplied.

"Uh huh," Yuugi nodded.

"Why?" Jou wondered and began kissing Yuugi's neck.

"Be-because it'll be messy and gross," Yuugi tilted his head to give Jou better access.

"There's a way to keep it from being too messy," Jou suggested between kisses.

"Uhm," Yuugi grew harder against Jou's body and he knew the other boy had picked up on his hint.

"I'm not going to force you, but let me just show you how it feels," Jou offered.

He moved Yuugi off his body and positioned him on his back on the bed. Yuugi's hips jerked as Jou's lips touched his skin and, while Jou could not help smiling at the reaction, he continued his actions. The tension Yuugi was holding gradually left his body and Jou could feel him succumb to the pleasure Jou knew was coursing through his body. Yuugi covered his mouth with his arm, but Jou could still make out his name being whispered and moaned. With a final grunt from Yuugi, Jou knew his task was finished.

"Damn, Yuug', you make me so hard," Jou told him.

"Do you want me to reciprocate?" Yuugi looked a lot less nervous than he had before his orgasm.

"One second," Jou reached into his knapsack and brought out a tube of lubricant. "Try with just your hand."

Yuugi drizzled lubricant onto his hand and Jou, Jou's eyes shutting involuntarily at the cold liquid touching his hot erection. When Yuugi touched him, Jou felt dizzy, all the blood rushing from his head. The smaller teen began touching the taller with forceful strokes and Jou's wondering if this was how Yuugi touched himself only served to make Jou even harder. Jou was torn between wanting to keep his eyes open to watch Yuugi stroke him to completion and letting his eyes drift shut to relax into the sensation. He settled on watching Yuugi through half-lidded eyes; the sight of Yuugi's determined expression made him smile.

"Yuug', we're going to need a tissue in a minute," Jou informed as he tried to keep his breathing steady.

Yuugi grabbed the box with one hand while not removing the other from Jou's body. When Jou came, Yuugi neatly cleaned it him off and wiped his own hands free of lubricant. Then, Yuugi turned to look Jou in the eye.

"How was it?" Yuugi looked anxious for approval.

"You are amazing," Jou declared and rolled over onto his stomach, leaning over Yuugi. "I love you."

"I've never felt anything like that before," Yuugi pushed hair out of Jou's face.

"I've never done anything like that before," Jou remarked.

"Could have fooled me."

"So, do you have any other plans for the weekend?" Jou wondered, lying on his back and pulling Yuugi close to him. "Do you have to open the shop tomorrow?"

"No. Grandpa said not to bother," Yuugi snuggled into Jou's chest. "Jou, do you know how to have sex with another guy?"

"Yuug', we'll do it if you're ready, but I don't want to pressure you."

"I think I'm ready. Not right now, obviously, but maybe tomorrow," Yuugi looked hopeful.

"Not ready to go again?" Jou teased.

"That would be no," Yuugi yawned. "Ready for bed is more like it."

"Good," Jou agreed, "I am nearly dead on my feet, well, back."

"You didn't answer my question," Yuugi reminded, pulling on his pyjama pants.

"Do I know how to have sex with another guy? Honestly, I have some ideas. I mean, there's only one place for me to put it. I've read some stuff and seen some videos," Jou confessed as he dressed. "To get to know what I'm doing."

"I've done next to no research," Yuugi looked embarrassed and climbed back into the bed.

"It's going to hurt," Jou warned and turned off the light, getting into bed and wrapping his arms around Yuugi.

"That much I've gathered. Although, you're talking like I'm going to be the uke," Yuugi raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm, well," Jou felt himself turn red, "I guess I just assumed."

"I'm giving you a hard time," Yuugi laughed. "I figured you would be seme."

"Really nice, Yuug'," Jou lightly punched Yuugi on the arm.

"I love you," Yuugi batted his eyelashes.

"You better," Jou kissed Yuugi on the forehead.

"I do," Yuugi insisted and yawned again.

"We'll talk more about this tomorrow," Jou promised. "Sleep now and tomorrow you better believe I'll rock your world."

"I believe it," Yuugi nestled into Jou's embrace.

Jou loved sleeping with Yuugi in his arms, they fit together perfectly, and he never slept as well in his own bed as he did with Yuugi in Yuugi's bed. He assumed Yuugi had no problem sleeping with him because Jou always woke with the smaller boys limbs entwined with his own. When they woke the next morning, Jou gave Yuugi a quick kiss and they headed to the shower where they washed each other.

"I'm going to make breakfast," Jou decided after they were dressed. "Why don't you clean the sheets so they're nice for later?"

"I'll put them in the washing machine," Yuugi began stripping the bed and Jou went down to the kitchen.

"I like it when you cook for me," Yuugi came into the kitchen while Jou was working at the waffle-maker. "Makes me feel cared for."

"I care for you," Jou said over his shoulder. "Do you want to start dicing up some fruit?"

"Sure," Yuugi opened the fridge and took out strawberries, apples, and blueberries. "You know, we can always have cereal for breakfast."

"This is a special day. Besides, now you'll taste like fruit," Jou leaned over for a kiss which Yuugi happily supplied.

"I haven't eaten fruit yet," Yuugi pointed out, keeping his face close to Jou's.

"You always taste good," Jou bit Yuugi's lower lip gently.

"I was in the middle of doing something important," Yuugi reminded. "And I'm not eating burnt waffles."

"All right, but I get more kisses after we eat," Jou bargained.

"As many kisses as you want," Yuugi complied.

"I wouldn't make promises like that," Jou chuckled. "I might want a lot of kisses."

Yuugi thought about that for a moment. "And I'm okay with that."

They ate breakfast, Yuugi finished the laundry, and they moved to the sitting room where they played video games for a few hours, breaking for sandwiches around noon. After another intimate dinner at eight that night, Jou and Yuugi went up to Yuugi's bedroom where Jou took out his lighter and began lighting the candles that had been forgotten the night before. When Jou turned from the final candle, he saw Yuugi sitting on the bed with his hands in his lap.

"We don't have to do this," Jou assured his boyfriend.

"I want to do it," Yuugi asserted.

"I've never done this before either," Jou wanted to project an aura of confidence, but he decided if there was anyone he could let down his guard around it was Yuugi.

"Are _you_ nervous?" Yuugi inquired.

"Yep," Jou confessed. "What if I hurt you, Yuug'?"

"I'm prepared for it to hurt. I think," Yuugi looked uncertain. "It's going to hurt my first time whether it's today or a year from now. Only, I don't think I can wait a year."

"I don't think _I_ can wait," Jou laughed apprehensively. "We'll go at your speed, but you have to be vocal about it because once I get in there, I'm probably going to lose my mind."

"I think we need to stop talking about it and just do it," Yuugi declared.

"Sounds like a plan," Jou kissed Yuugi lightly on the lips.

The kiss was nice—nothing earth shattering—but it progressed into a heated embrace as Yuugi opened his mouth for Jou's tongue and Jou complied. Jou tried not to think about where the kiss was going and just let it happen naturally, but he was excited and began taking off his shirt followed by Yuugi's. Yuugi was far less hesitant than Jou had anticipated, unbuckling Jou's belt, slipping his hand into Jou's pants, and taking Jou's already semi-hardened length in his hand; Jou's breath hitched at the touch and he shuddered involuntarily, remembering the pleasure Yuugi's hand had brought the night before. Their pants and boxers were on the floor just minutes after they had started, totally forgotten, and Jou was lightly grinding his hips into Yuugi's who was then producing the most enticing moans and mewls.

"Are you ready?" Jou whispered in Yuugi's ear, making the latter shiver and nod. "Then, here we go."

Jou found the lubricant on the floor where it had been discarded the night before and he resumed kissing Yuugi in an effort to distract him from the hurt he was about to experience. Yuugi tensed at first, but, when he relaxed, Jou began to move. He went gently at first, then he started to go at a faster pace, losing himself (as he had predicted) in tightness and warmth. The boy under him stopped making noises of pain and started to make sounds of pleasure.

They moved in tandem, Yuugi bucking his hips into Jou's and moaning into Jou's kisses and Jou stroking Yuugi's length and slamming into him. Jou wanted to come, knew he was close to coming, but he wanted Yuugi to come, too; so he increased the speed of his thrusts and his strokes. Yuugi gave one final gasp and Jou felt a hot, sticky substance flow between them and the walls around his member clamp down. Finally, Jou let himself release inside of Yuugi.

"God, Yuug', I love you," Jou took a shuddering breath as he collapsed on the bed and the blood flowed back to his head.

"You say that because I just let you have sex with me," Yuugi joked, but it sounded like he was trying to catch his breath.

"You take that back," Jou ordered, finding enough strength to prop himself up on his elbows and kiss Yuugi fiercely.

"I take it back," Yuugi murmured.

"Good. Now, tell me you love me," Jou instructed.

"I love you," Yuugi obeyed.

"Wonderful. I love you, too," Jou rolled over onto his back.

~:+:~

Now my story is officially done. I hope my lemon was acceptable or at least not terrible; I wanted it to be a realistic first time experience, but still sexy. Anyway, that's it for my first Wishshipping story. There may be a second one in me, we'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks for reading!


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